[quote="Monte" post=333246][quote="fordham96" post=333237][quote="Monte" post=333235]Nothing went wrong. This team was a very flawed team right from the get go. The OOC games gave some fans the illusion that we were much better than we were. From the beginning there were major concerns about size and depth. Our team chemistry was rarely very good, in part because we lacked a leader on the court. We were forced to live and die with our outside shooting because we had no interior game, except for the occasional drives. The coaching left a lot to be desired. The team we saw last night was, for the most part, the same team we seen for most of the season. As the season went on, I said that I expected we’d sneak in to the tournament but the season would end on a very disappointing (but not surprising) note, much like Lavin’s last team. That’s exactly what happened.[/quote]
Basically correct. This wasn't a very good team anyway,
The question is should we expect more in year 4 and beyond.
After 4 years of this hire should we reasonably expect more and more importantly is the program headed in the right direction both on and off the floor.[/quote]
Good questions. Unfortunately I don’t have any answers. I still hope like hell this Chris can work out here, but a lot of that is based on emotion rather than what I’ve seen so far. People point to improvement every year. That’s all good and well, but there’s the “smell test”(I think you used that term before), and I don’t see how he’s passed that test after 4 years at the helm. Think he deserves another year, with some changes to the staff, and then I’ll re-visit.[/quote]
The "improvement" argument is the biggest crock. First off the 12-0 start was a borderline joke. Secondly I don't give credit to "improving" on your own bad record. Seriously, you want to give credit while at the same time acknowledge he was also terrible.
Lastly there is a 'improvment" and then there is a IMPROVEMENT. Going from 1 league win, to 7 to 4 to 8 can be constituted as "improvement." But only if your standard is so low that you think that is sufficient, The standard for improvement would be to compare the previous staff where they left off and then compare where you are 4 years later. No question the cupboard was bare but no one is saying he had to win 20 games his first year. But Lavin left after back to back 10-8 seasons And keep in mind he lost 10 seniors and a key transfer, Polee, after his 1st year. So he had to rehaul the entire roster on the run. I am not saying he did a great job, not at all. That's my point. But even if you take out his first year because you don[t want to give him credit, the four following years after he re-hauled the entire roster and had 2 kids leave early for NBA, he went to 2 NIT's and 1 NCAA and had 2 winning league seasons.
I am not going to rehash Mullin's 4 year record but it is bad, real bad. And I fear that it is going to be worse not better next year.
The standard then is to look at the 4 years relative to what SJU fired and do you say, "Hell yeah the program is on far better footing and we are poised to be a regular BE and NCAA contender.." or "Jesus, this is what we waited four years for. This is not only not better than what we fired 4 years ago, it is WORSE."
Take your pick in terms of where you stand. But that is the standard. The standard isn't well he "improved" because they went 8-10 from 4-14...Sorry that is nonsense. If he went 13-5 from 4-14 then I would say, absolutely.
